The Packers will have to make a decision next week whether to activate offensive tackle Derek Sherrod to the 53-man roster or place him on injured reserve for the remainder of the season, and the 2011 first-round draft pick isn’t sure which way it’s going to go.

“I’m not sure,” Sherrod said Friday. “It could go either way.”

Sherrod has been practicing for the past two weeks. On the physically unable to perform list from since the start of the season, Sherrod’s three-week window to practice without counting against the roster began during the bye week. He was on the practice field for the first time this season on Monday, Nov. 12, and has slowly been trying to get back to full speed.

Mike McCarthy admitted last week that Sherrod was taking “baby steps” following the long and arduous rehab of his surgically repaired broken leg. He could not yet do drills at full speed but looked a little more nimble this past week. Considering the Packers have already lost starting RT Bryan Bulaga to injured reserve this year, if there’s any chance Sherrod will be able to play by season’s end, the Packers might want to put him on the roster. But if he’s simply been out too long and/or it’s not realistic to think he can play in a game, he’ll have to go on IR.

“It felt really good to put the pads back on, put the helmet back on, be out there with the teammates,” Sherrod said of the past couple of weeks. “Just getting out there to work on the different drills, going through everything.

“I’m just keeping my head up. There’s nothing to be disappointed about. Obviously I want to play, but whenever that is, it is.”